Though their roster is smaller than usual this year, the Wildcat hockey players are determined to stay competitive.

Welcoming 12 skaters and three goalies back  to the ice, they’re ready to take on the OAA white division.

“It’s going to be a learning season,” Head  Coach  Derek Billis said. “We just want to be competitive in all of our games.”

With a scrimmage and a game under their belts already, the joint team made up of Oxford and Avondale boys, is aiming to take home as many wins as it can and learn something from every game they play.

“We want to grow throughout the year, so that every game we’re doing better,” Billis said. “We’re learning and getting better in every game.”

With a limited number of skaters, Billis and his boys are focusing on powerplays and  running a strong defense in the hopes of maximizing their ability to score while guarding their net against players who might be better rested.

“We’re trying to build more of a team-oriented mindset,” Billis said. “So we’re trying to build on our defensive structure and our powerplay so that everybody is one the same page. We can’t spend a lot of time running around on the ice, we’ve got to play the right way and allow the other team to make the mistakes (so we) can capitalize on that.”

Some of the players to keep an eye on this season are captain and senior Ben Pratt as well as senior goalie Aaron Angelo, junior forward Matt Schultz, sophomore Jackson Billis, senior defender Zach Rauh, junior defender John Poolton and junior defender Donovin Thompson.

Oxford’s record is 1-1 with a 5-3 win against Lapeer on Nov. 16 and an 8-0 loss to West Bloomfield the following day.